State v. Boswell

340 P.3d 971, 185 Wash. App. 321
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedDecember 30, 2014
DocketNo. 44365-1-II
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 340 P.3d 971 (State v. Boswell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Boswell, 340 P.3d 971, 185 Wash. App. 321 (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

¶ 1 — A jury found Michael Todd Boswell guilty of two counts of attempted first degree murder. Boswell appeals, arguing that (1) double jeopardy bars his conviction for two counts of attempted murder, (2) the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury on attempted third degree assault as a lesser included offense, and (3) the jury instructions on attempted first degree murder omitted an essential element of the crime. Because we hold that the unit of prosecution for attempted murder is based on a course of conduct, Boswell’s convictions for two counts of attempted murder do not violate double jeopardy. We further hold that third degree assault is not a lesser included offense of attempted murder and that the jury instructions included all essential elements of attempted first degree murder. Accordingly, we affirm.

Lee, J.

FACTS

¶2 Boswell and Jessica Fix had been in a romantic relationship. About a month before November 14, 2011, Fix told Boswell that she wanted to end their relationship. Boswell became very upset and was crying, so Fix decided to stay with him. Just prior to November 14, Fix again discussed ending their relationship, but Boswell again became upset and Fix did not end the relationship.

¶3 Early in the morning on November 14, Fix returned home from working the prior evening, and Boswell made [325]*325her peppermint tea. After drinking the tea, Fix became nauseated, began vomiting, and then fell asleep on the living room couch.

¶4 Later, Fix woke up with a loud ringing in her ears and blood dripping from her head. She saw Boswell sitting on the opposite side of the couch holding a gun. Fix left the house and went to the hospital. At the hospital, Fix was treated for a brain hemorrhage and liver failure. Doctors determined that Fix’s head wound was consistent with a gunshot wound and that her liver failure was caused by an extremely high dose of acetaminophen.

¶5 The State charged Boswell with two counts of attempted first degree murder. Count 1 alleged that Boswell “on or about November 14,2011, with a premeditated intent to cause the death of another person . . . did an act which was a substantial step toward the commission of that crime.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 62. Count 2 alleged that Boswell “on or about November 14, 2011, at a separate time than the acts charged in Count 1, with a premeditated intent to cause the death of another person . . . did an act which was a substantial step toward the commission of that crime.” CP at 62.

¶6 At trial, Boswell testified that Fix’s injuries were caused by his failed suicide attempts. First, Boswell crushed a large amount of Tylenol and methocarbamol in a glass and then used a second glass as a shaker to help dissolve the pills in the liquid. Then, he inadvertently put Fix’s tea in the second glass containing a large amount of Tylenol residue. He became ill after consuming the medication he mixed for himself but failed in his suicide attempt. After his failed suicide attempt with the Tylenol, Boswell decided to attempt to take his own life with a gun. Boswell’s arm slipped when he attempted to shoot himself, and he accidentally shot Fix in the head.

¶7 Boswell requested that the trial court instruct the jury on third degree assault as a lesser included offense of the attempted first degree murder predicated on the shoot[326]*326ing. The trial court concluded that third degree assault was not a lesser included offense of attempted first degree murder and did not instruct the jury on third degree assault.

¶8 The trial court gave the following “to convict” instruction on the attempted first degree murder charge in count 1:

To convict the defendant of the crime of Attempted Murder in the First Degree as charged in Count 1, each of the following elements of the crime must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt:
(1) That on or about November 14, 2011, the defendant did an act that was a substantial step toward the commission of Murder in the First Degree;
(2) That the act was done with the intent to commit Murder in the First Degree; and
(3) That the act occurred in the State of Washington.
If you find from the evidence that each of these elements has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, then it will be your duty to return a verdict of guilty.
On the other hand, if, after weighing all the evidence, you have a reasonable doubt as to any one of these elements, then it will be your duty to return a verdict of not guilty

CP at 80. The “to convict” instruction on the attempted first degree murder charge in count 2 contained the same elements. CP at 81.

|9 The jury found Boswell guilty of both counts of attempted first degree murder. Boswell appeals.

ANALYSIS

A. Double Jeopardy

¶10 Boswell argues that double jeopardy bars his convictions for two counts of attempted first degree murder because the unit of prosecution for crimes of attempt is the intent to commit the crime and not each substantial step toward committing that crime. We disagree.

[327]*327 fll The United States and Washington Constitutions prohibit double jeopardy. US. Const, amend. V; Wash. Const, art. I, § 9. We review alleged double jeopardy violations de novo. State v. Villanueva-Gonzalez, 180 Wn.2d 975, 979-80, 329 P.3d 78 (2014). “The prohibition on double jeopardy generally means that a person cannot be prosecuted for the same offense after being acquitted, be prosecuted for the same offense after being convicted, or receive multiple punishments for the same offense.” Villanueva-Gonzalez, 180 Wn.2d at 980.

¶12 Although Boswell alleges a constitutional error, determining whether Boswell’s convictions constitute multiple punishments for the same offense requires determination of legislative intent and presents a question of statutory interpretation. Villanueva-Gonzalez, 180 Wn.2d at 980. “The legislature is tasked with defining criminal offenses, and the prohibition on double jeopardy imposes ‘[f]ew, if any, limitations’ on that power.” Villanueva-Gonzalez, 180 Wn.2d at 980 (alteration in original) (quoting Sanabria v. United States, 437 U.S. 54, 69, 98 S. Ct. 2170, 57 L. Ed. 2d 43 (1978)).

f 13 When a defendant has multiple convictions under the same statutory provision, we determine whether there is a double jeopardy violation by asking “ ‘what act or course of conduct has the Legislature defined as the punishable act.’ ” Villanueva-Gonzalez, 180 Wn.2d at 980 (quoting State v. Adel, 136 Wn.2d 629, 634, 965 P.2d 1072 (1998)). Boswell was convicted of two counts of attempted first degree murder under RCW 9A.28.020 and RCW 9A.32.030.

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Bluebook (online)
340 P.3d 971, 185 Wash. App. 321, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-boswell-washctapp-2014.